The Boston Bruins announced Monday that goaltender Niklas Svedberg has been recalled from his conditioning loan with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. Goaltender Malcolm Subban was assigned to Providence.
Svedberg has been Tuukka Rask’s backup in Boston throughout the season, but with the Bruins’ No. 1 goalie playing so well in January, it made sense to give Svedberg some playing...

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Rick Porcello still refuses to put the cart before the horse.
Porcello, who turned 26 in December, is slated to hit the open market next offseason, meaning he’s in a perfect position to cash in with a solid 2015 season. The Boston Red Sox pitcher is taking a Jon Lester-like approach to his impending free agency, though....

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Prosecutors have dismissed domestic violence charges against Carolina Panthers defensive end and soon-to-be free agent Greg Hardy after they said the accuser in the case couldn’t be found.
Hardy’s appeal in the case was set to begin Monday. But Mecklenburg County district attorney Andrew Murray told the judge that officials attempted many times to contact...

By Zack Cox
Nothing beats a good Larry Bird story. So, we’d like to think one of Bird’s old rivals for bringing us this gem.
With the Atlanta Hawks set to visit TD Garden this Wednesday, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald caught up with Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, who shared one of his earliest memories of Larry Legend.
“One of the first times I ever played against...

Things are never boring when DeMarcus Cousins is involved.
The Sacramento Kings center is one of the NBA’s most, um, unique characters. On Sunday night, he found a way to make headlines both on and off the court.
Cousins played the role of hero — with a little help from a friendly rim — as he sunk the game-winning shot at the buzzer against the Phoenix Suns.
But things got...

By Zack Cox
We should know by next weekend whether Ray Allen will be playing NBA basketball this spring.
Allen, currently a free agent, plans to decide by the All-Star break whether to sign with a new team, sources told ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst on Monday.
At least a half-dozen teams are interested in bringing on the veteran guard, per Windhorst, including the Washington...

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Julian Edelman’s willingness to go over the middle comes at a price.
Edelman not only looked a bit dazed after catching a crucial third-down pass from Tom Brady in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX. The New England Patriots wide receiver also scared the daylights out of his father, Frank Edelman.
“I worry every second...

BOSTON — The Bruins often talk about the importance of giving a “full 60-minute effort.” A performance that includes the occasional minor lapse, but for the most part is full good execution, mental toughness and sticking to head coach Claude Julien’s system.
The Bruins are good enough to beat some NHL teams without a total 60-minute effort because they have an excellent...

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost just once in their last 14 games, but it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for LeBron James & Co.
James acknowledged after Sunday’s 120-105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers that a cryptic tweet he fired off late Friday night was indeed directed at teammate Kevin Love.
Stop trying to find a way to FIT-OUT and just FIT-IN. Be apart of something special...

Because one erotic fiction novel starring New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski clearly wasn’t enough.
Following the “success” of “A Gronking to Remember,” author Lacey Noonan has penned a sequel titled “A Gronking to Remember 2: Chad Goes Deep In the Neutral Zone.” It’s available on Amazon just in time for Valentine’s Day.
According to the description...

Tom Brady made sure if the New England Patriots lost Super Bowl XLIX, it wasn’t going to be from a lack of preparation.
The legendary quarterback might be addicted preparing, according to a fascinating story published Monday morning on The MMQB website. King spoke at length with Brady and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels about their incredible...

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It’s that time of year when all of the Major League Baseball top prospect rankings start trickling out. The Boston Red Sox are well-represented.
Baseball Prospectus released its Top 101 prospects of 2015 list on Monday. Five Red Sox farmhands are featured on the list, which is headlined by Minnesota Twins outfield prospect...

The hype train officially has left the station.
Yoan Moncada finally is free to sign with any Major League Baseball team. The Cuban prospect has drawn rave reviews to this point, with one National League talent evaluator telling The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo he sees some similarities between Moncada and a couple of big league All-Stars.
“He could be the next Robinson Cano...

Michael Sam is looking for another chance.
The defensive end made history a year ago Monday when he announced he was gay. Just a few months later, Sam became the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL when the St. Louis Rams drafted him in the seventh round.
It’s been an uphill struggle since then for Sam. He was cut by the Rams and after signing...

The San Diego Padres just put the exclamation point on a big offseason.
The Padres have come to terms with free-agent pitcher James Shields, according to SB Nation. The deal is a four-year contract with a team option for a fifth season, sources told SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo.
The deal reportedly could be worth up to $76 million, according to the report.
The 33-year-old Shields...

BOSTON — Tuukka Rask has struggled throughout his career against the Montreal Canadiens, but he wasn’t the reason why the Boston Bruins lost 3-1 to their archrivals Sunday night at TD Garden.
The Bruins’ No. 1 goaltender entered Sunday night’s game with a 3-12-3 record, a 2.76 goals against average and a .902 save percentage in 19 career games against the Habs. But he gave...

New York Knicks owner James Dolan probably doesn’t have too many fans this season, but he definitely just lost another.
The floundering Knicks are dead last in the NBA standings at 10-41, and that fact understandably doesn’t sit well with fans. However, Dolan apparently found it necessary to respond to one fan’s dissent in the most inappropriate way possible.
Irving Bierman...

BOSTON — The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins 3-1 Sunday night at TD Garden to sweep the season 4-0.
The Bruins have one more game at TD Garden — Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars — before they begin a five-game road trip out West.
Here are three quick takeaways from Bruins-Canadiens:
1. Defensive Lapse Gives Canadiens First Lead
Montreal opened the scoring...

If Cheikhou Kouyate never scores another goal for West Ham United, he’ll always have this one to celebrate.
Kouyate, a midfielder-turned-defender, scored a dazzling goal in his team’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday in the Premier League. The only down-side to Kouyate’s goal (as far as Hammers and neutrals are concerned) is that it didn’t stand as the game-winner...

Malcolm Butler made another great interception just one week after winning Super Bowl XLIX.
Well, sort of.
The New England Patriots cornerback went to the Grammys on Sunday with teammate and wide receiver Julian Edelman, and the two helped actor Josh Duhamel present the award for “Best Rock Album.” Things got a little silly.
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Pats fans have had plenty of fun with memes of Richard Sherman’s reaction to losing Super Bowl XLIX to the New England Patriots, but now they can wear it.
A designer at clothing company Print All Over Me slapped the Seattle Seahawks cornerback’s sad face on a T-shirt, and it makes quite the statement.
The shirt can be yours for $38 plus tax and shipping...

That’s more like it from Team USA.
The United States men’s national soccer team defeated Panama 2-0 in an exhibition game Sunday. Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey scored the goals in the comfortable, but by no means comprehensive, victory. The win ended the United States’ five-game win-less run, easing pressure and muting critics of the players...

Michael Bradley is the United States men’s national soccer team’s pass-master but he decided to go it alone against Panama.
Bradley scored directly from a corner kick in the first half of the United States’ 2-0 win over Panama on Sunday at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. The “Olimpico” (as such strikes are called) was Bradley’s 13th, and perhaps most spectacular...

The Beanpot is facing another setback.
The final night of the annual college hockey tournament — which is supposed to take place on the first two Mondays in February — is being pushed back two weeks thanks another major snowstorm in the forecast. Both the title game and the consolation game will take place Feb. 23 at TD Garden.
This is the second...

By Sam Galanis
Vince Wilfork is soaking up the offseason in the Bahamas following the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl XLIX win, but that doesn’t mean he has forgotten about home.
The big Patriots nose tackle spotted a fan wearing his jersey in the island country, and he and wife Bianca decided to say hello.
The fan obviously didn’t recognize Wilfork, which is a little...